Over Dinner

As I sit here reflecting on my journey, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the movie me and my husband watched the other day. The film My Dinner with Andre, where two friends share a simple meal that unfolds into something much deeper, a conversation that peels back the layers of their lives, exploring what it means to truly live. It’s not just a story of two men talking for 2 hours over dinner. It’s a story of transformation, of awakening to the complexity of our experiences, and in so many ways, it mirrors the path I’ve been walking.

Like Andre, I’ve found myself pulled into spaces that challenge me to question everything I thought I knew, about myself, about the world, and about the way I interact with those around me. I’ve been stretched beyond the edges of comfort, just as he was, into realms where certainty is rare, but growth is inevitable. These moments of expansion, although sometimes painful, are where the deepest healing occurs. They are where we break open, not to fall apart, but to make room for something new, something more aligned with who we are meant to become.

At the same time, I carry the voice of Wally within me, the part of me that seeks comfort in routine, that questions whether all this painful transformation is really necessary. It’s a dance, isn’t it? Between the desire for growth and the need for safety, between the drive to explore new terrain and the call to stay grounded in what’s familiar. To me both arguments resonated so much and as I checked in within myself, I found out that I’ve learned that both are essential parts of my journey. There’s beauty in honoring the pull of expansion and the need for stillness, for both create the balance that makes healing sustainable.

And like the conversations in the film, my journey has been shaped by connection, connection to myself, yes, but also to the people I serve. Like, the clients who come to me not just for skincare, but for healing on a deeper level. I see now that the work I do is about so much more than surface-level changes. It’s about inviting others into their own transformation, helping them peel back their own layers and embrace the potential for healing that resides within them. The skin is just the doorway. What lies beneath is where the GlowUp really happens.

In this way, my journey mirrors Andre’s, not just in the seeking but in the deep compassion I am having to cultivate for myself and others. It’s easy to look at healing as a linear process, but the truth is, it’s anything but. It’s messy. It’s complicated. And it often feels like two steps forward, one step back. But in these moments of uncertainty, I’ve learned to trust the process, to have faith that even when things feel unclear, I am being guided toward something greater. And the beauty of it all is that in my own healing, I’m able to hold space for others to heal too.

I’m not perfect, and I don’t have all the answers. But what I do know is this: the journey is not about arriving at some final destination of “healed.” It’s about the ongoing conversations we have with ourselves, the continued dialogue between our past wounds and our present growth. And it’s in these conversations, whether they are internal or shared with others, that I find the courage to keep going.

This path has taught me that we are never truly alone. Even in our darkest moments, there is always a thread of connection, a lifeline that ties us to others who are walking their own paths.

We are all learning, growing, and evolving together, and there’s so much comfort in knowing that.

So, if you find yourself in the midst of your own transformation, if you’re questioning, doubting, or feeling the discomfort of growth; know that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. Just like Andre, just like me, you are moving toward something beautiful. Something real.

And in that movement, you are creating space for others to do the same. Your journey matters. Your healing matters. And the ripple effect of that healing? Well.... it touches everything and everyone around you, so keep going.

We are all walking this path together, hand in hand, even when it feels like we’re walking it alone.